New Delhi: Pakistan has formally applied to be a full-fledged member of the BRICS grouping, a move that is likely to be opposed by India, ThePrint has learnt.
Pakistan’s new ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, told Russian news agency TASS that Pakistan had filed an application to join the BRICS group of nations in 2024 and was counting on Russia’s assistance during the membership process.
He said Islamabad planned to join the group under Russia’s presidency in 2024.
“Pakistan would like to be part of this important organisation and we are in (the) process of contacting member countries for extending support to Pakistan’s membership in general and the Russian Federation in particular,” the ambassador told the Russian news agency.
It is understood that China is strongly backing Pakistan, which has prompted many in the strategic community to wonder whether Beijing was trying to create a geopolitical bloc against the West.
Sources in the Indian security establishment told ThePrint that while a final call on any potential support would be taken at a later stage, the inclusion of Pakistan would dilute the core reason that binds the member countries together.
They said BRIC was formed as a four-nation grouping – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2006 as a platform for major economies outside the West. South Africa entered the grouping in 2010 to make it BRICS.
Sources said Pakistan “was a failure on the economic front” and was dependent on bailouts by different countries. “So from the look of it, it does not make sense. However, the issue will be examined when it is formally brought up to the notice of all member countries,” a source said.
Another source said several countries have also applied to be members and a decision would only be taken when the time comes.
At the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg in August this year, six new countries – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia – were added to the grouping which comes into effect from January 2024.
Edited by Tikli Basu
Also read: Pakistan has applied to join BRICS in 2024, says Islamabad’s envoy to Russia